Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 86 works by Jan Baptist Weenix in our catalogue
In short
Of all the originals Jan Baptist Weenix left, the most famous is Tobit, asleep under a vine, is blinded (1642), in the collection of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Close behind it come Italian landscape with shelter and antiques ruins (1658) and Still Life with a Dead Swan (1651). Our catalog holds 86 works by Jan Baptist Weenix; the gallery has kept the 78 the world admires most, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
A single man reclines in the heavy shade of a vine. He is Tobit, lost to a deep, unsuspecting sleep. The air around him feels thick, weighted by the muted tones of ochre and forest green. Sunlight does not flood this scene; instead, it pierces through the foliage in sharp, controlled beams, illuminating the textures of his slumped posture and the coarse fabric of his clothing. He rests amidst a…
The oil on panel painting titled Italian landscape with shelter and antiques ruins was executed by the artist Jan Baptist Weenix in 1658. This landscape painting depicts a specific pastoral setting within an Italianate environment. The scene is populated by a group of peasants and various livestock, including sheep and goats. These figures are situated near a rustic cottage and several ancient architectural ruins that occupy the landscape.
The painting Still Life with a Dead Swan by Jan Baptist Weenix captures a heavy, silent moment of the hunt. Created about 1651, the work presents a collection of fallen game as a trophy of the chase. A white swan rests at the center, its pale plumage a stark contrast to the darker forms surrounding it. This central figure is accompanied by a turkey, two partridges, and a small finch,…
In this work, titled Tobit Sleeping Under the Vine, we encounter a significant piece by the Dutch Golden Age painter Jan Baptist Weenix. Created around 1642, the painting belongs to the Baroque period, a time when the interplay of light and shadow began to define the dramatic tension of Northern European art. Weenix, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, brought a disciplined approach to his subjects, often blending meticulous observation with a…
The air feels heavy with the scent of damp stone and the rhythmic, metallic scrape of steel against stone. Under a vast, expansive sky, a group of figures gathers within the skeletal remains of a classical ruin. A man leans into his work, operating a grinding wheel that cuts through the quietude of the scene. Beside him, a woman sits in repose, while a small child stands close by, watching…
Hunters Near Ruins is an oil on canvas painting by Jan Baptist Weenix. The work is dated 1648. This piece belongs to the Dutch Golden Age, a period during which the artist developed a specific approach to landscape and human figures.
In this 1647 oil painting, Jan Baptist Weenix captures the French philosopher René Descartes. The subject appears in a medium close-up, his presence defined by a heavy, somber stillness. He is an elderly man, his face marked by the weight of thought and the passage of years. A bright white collar cuts through the darkness of his attire, framing a pale countenance that emerges from a deep, umber shadow.
The composition relies on strong vertical elements, primarily through imposing columns and a central, highly ornate pedestal topped with a large urn. These structures anchor the scene, providing a sense of scale against the scattered human figures in the foreground and middle ground. Through a use of deep recession, the perspective draws the eye past a colonnade toward a distant, hazy horizon where the masts of ships are visible.
The scene unfolds in 1648, a moment captured in the oil on canvas known as Harbour with Antique Ruins. This work belongs to the hand of Jan Baptist Weenix, an artist who brings the weight of history into a living, breathing maritime setting. The painting presents a world where the weathered stone of classical antiquity meets the constant, rhythmic movement of a working harbor. It is a vision of a…
In "The Angel Raphael Leaving Tobias's Family" by Jan Baptist Weenix, a divine departure unfolds with sudden, celestial energy. The scene captures the exact moment the Angel Raphael ascends toward the heavens, leaving the family below in a state of profound awe and reverence. A powerful diagonal movement pulls the eye from the lower left foreground upward toward the upper left, where the angelic figure climbs into a swirling formation…
vegetable-sellers at the house-door, 5 figures1646
12
caravane near the shore1646
13
Mother and Child1647
14
Circumcision of Moses' son1640 · National Museum in Warsaw
15
Still Life with Game, Hunter and Two Dogs1652 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
16
Butterfly Dog and Dead Bird1649 · Museum Mayer van den Bergh
17
Pleasure boating1650
18
The Sleeping Shepherdess1658 · National Gallery of Ireland
19
Roman Tinker1656 · Städel Museum
20
The love letter1650 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
21
Italian Harbour1651 · Hermitage Museum
22
Italian Peasants among Ruins1650 · Detroit Institute of Arts
23
Sleeping girl1656 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
24
Rest on the Flight into Egypt1657 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
25
Merry Company on a Ferry1649 · Museum Gouda
26
Battle at the foot of the mountain.1650 · National Museum in Warsaw
27
Christina Lepper de Kempenaer and Her Children1653
28
Italian port scene, 16491649 · Centraal Museum
29
Italian Landscape with Horsemen by a Spring1657 · Centraal Museum
30
Before the walls of Rome1650 · National Museum in Wrocław
31
Portrait of a man with a letter1650 · Agnes Etherington Art Center
32
A Landscape with a Ford1660 · Regional Gallery in Liberec
33
In the Campagna1669 · National Gallery of Ireland
34
Dead Fowl Being Eaten by a Cat1653 · Städel Museum
35
Departure of an Oriental Entourage1647 · The Louvre
36
Display of Dead Game1641 · Petit Palais
37
Dead Game1641
38
River Landscape with a Ferry1650 · Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
39
Still Life with Dead Game and Poultry1656 · Centraal Museum
40
Still Life with Fowl1650 · Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK)
41
Marine with a Venetian Bucintoro1650 · Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
42
The Dutch Ambassador on his Way to Isfahan, Jan Baptist Weenix, 1653 - 16591659 · Rijksmuseum
43
After the Hunt, Jan Baptist Weenix, c. 16561656 · Rijksmuseum
44
Still Life with White Mouse1680 · Ernest Zmeták Art Gallery
45
Still Life with GameHarvard Art Museums
46
The Ford in the River1647 · Hermitage Museum
47
Harbor View with Rider in Oriental Dress,Groninger Museum
48
The Holy Women at the TombNational Gallery of Ireland
49
An Italian SeaportRoyal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
50
Architectural interior with foreign shippers, ruins and a shipyard beyond
51
Study of a sheep
52
A pig's carcase
53
The Tinker and His Dog
54
Landscape with Peasants and Animals
55
Dead Partridge1650 · Mauritshuis
56
Goat Lying Down, Jan Baptist Weenix, 1645 - 16601660 · Rijksmuseum
57
A Dog and a Cat near a partially disembowelled Deer, Jan Baptist Weenix, 1645 - 16601660 · Rijksmuseum
58
Still Life with Dead Poultry, Lidded Pitcher and PassglasBavarian State Painting Collections
59
Game-pieceNational Gallery of Ireland
60
Dead game and hunting tackle in landscape
61
Hound with a Joint of Meat and a Cat Looking on
62
Bouquet of flowersGemäldegalerie
63
Shipping in Harbour
64
Herons and Lapwings
65
Still Life of Dead Game in a Landscape with a Huntsman
66
An italian port scene
67
Shepherds and Flocks among Classical Ruins
68
A Coast Scene with Classical RuinsWallace Collection
69
Still Life with Dead Game
70
Hounds and an Owl with Dead Birds and Sculptures in a Landscape
71
Still Life with Dead Birds
72
Family in a Mediterranean Seaport
73
Figures near a SeaportScottish National Gallery
74
A Huntsman cutting up a Dead Deer, with Two DeerhoundsNational Gallery
75
Ancient RuinsSzépművészeti Múzeum
76
Figures among ruinsThe Kremer Collection
77
Ancient Ruins (detail)Szépművészeti Múzeum
78
Girl as Shepherdess1650 · Musée de Picardie
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Jan Baptist Weenix | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bavarian State Painting Collections |
Munich | 4 | The Scissors Grinder, Still Life with Game, Hunter and Two Dogs, Sleeping girl |
 Centraal Museum |
Utrecht | 4 | Portrait of René Descartes, Italian port scene, 1649, Italian Landscape with Horsemen by a Spring |
 National Gallery of Ireland |
Dublin City | 4 | The Sleeping Shepherdess, In the Campagna, The Holy Women at the Tomb |
 Rijksmuseum |
Amsterdam | 4 | The Dutch Ambassador on his Way to Isfahan, Jan Baptist Weenix, 1653 - 1659, After the Hunt, Jan Baptist Weenix, c. 1656, Goat Lying Down, Jan Baptist Weenix, 1645 - 1660 |
 Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen |
Rotterdam | 2 | Tobit, asleep under a vine, is blinded, Rest on the Flight into Egypt |
 Mauritshuis |
The Hague | 2 | Italian landscape with shelter and antiques ruins, Dead Partridge |
 Detroit Institute of Arts |
Detroit | 2 | Still Life with a Dead Swan, Italian Peasants among Ruins |
 Nationalmuseum |
Stockholm | 2 | Harbour with Antique Ruins, The Angel Raphael Leaving Tobias's Family |
From 1640 to 1659, Jan Baptist Weenix worked for 20 years: the selection follows that long career year by year, through its finest originals.
Pick a year to see its originals.
The composition is defined by a sharp diagonal movement, tracing a path from the upper left toward a figure positioned on the ground. A descending figure, draped in billowing white and cream fabric, moves through a dark, receding background. Below, a man dressed in red reaches upward with outstretched arms. The scene is rendered in oil on canvas, utilizing a palette of deep browns, ochres, and umbers. Light emanates from…
In this work, titled Tobit Sleeping Under the Vine, we encounter a significant piece by the Dutch Golden Age painter Jan Baptist Weenix. Created around 1642, the painting belongs to the Baroque period, a time when the interplay of light and shadow began to define the dramatic tension of Northern European art. Weenix, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, brought a disciplined approach to his subjects, often blending meticulous observation with a…
More from 1641
A single man reclines in the heavy shade of a vine. He is Tobit, lost to a deep, unsuspecting sleep. The air around him feels thick, weighted by the muted tones of ochre and forest green. Sunlight does not flood this scene; instead, it pierces through the foliage in sharp, controlled beams, illuminating the textures of his slumped posture and the coarse fabric of his clothing. He rests amidst a…
The oil on canvas titled vegetable-sellers at the house-door, 5 figures was painted by Jan Baptist Weenix. This work dates to about 1646. It captures a quiet moment of human gathering near a stone threshold.
More from 1646
In this 1647 oil painting, Jan Baptist Weenix captures the French philosopher René Descartes. The subject appears in a medium close-up, his presence defined by a heavy, somber stillness. He is an elderly man, his face marked by the weight of thought and the passage of years. A bright white collar cuts through the darkness of his attire, framing a pale countenance that emerges from a deep, umber shadow.
More from 1647
Hunters Near Ruins is an oil on canvas painting by Jan Baptist Weenix. The work is dated 1648. This piece belongs to the Dutch Golden Age, a period during which the artist developed a specific approach to landscape and human figures.
More from 1648
Butterfly Dog and Dead Bird is a painting by Jan Baptist Weenix. Created about 1649, the work captures a quiet moment of mortality. The artist, Jan Baptist Weenix, was born in 1621 near the harbor of Amsterdam. He was the son of an architect, a lineage that perhaps informed his sense of structure and form.
More from 1649
The scene unfolds in Pleasure boating, a work by the Dutch Golden Age painter Jan Baptist Weenix. Born in 1621, the artist brings a sense of life to this maritime setting. The composition captures a moment of leisure near a shoreline, where figures gather around a small boat. In the distance, a large tower and architectural ruins rise against the horizon, grounding the activity in a landscape that feels both…
More from 1650
The painting Still Life with a Dead Swan by Jan Baptist Weenix captures a heavy, silent moment of the hunt. Created about 1651, the work presents a collection of fallen game as a trophy of the chase. A white swan rests at the center, its pale plumage a stark contrast to the darker forms surrounding it. This central figure is accompanied by a turkey, two partridges, and a small finch,…
More from 1651
The air feels heavy with the scent of damp earth and the metallic tang of the hunt. In this somber, Baroque-style scene, a sudden stillness has fallen over the landscape, leaving only the echoes of a recent chase. A large white bird, perhaps a swan or a goose, lies at the center of the composition, its wings spread wide in a final, frozen gesture of flight. The pale plumage catches…
The scene unfolds through the oil on canvas of Christina Lepper de Kempenaer and Her Children, a work that captures a quiet moment of familial presence. Jan Baptist Weenix brings this group to life, anchoring the figures within a structured space that feels both intimate and grand. The painting measures 93.4 x 121.3 cm, a scale that allows the viewer to feel the proximity of the subjects and the weight…
In "Roman Tinker" by Jan Baptist Weenix, a solitary figure occupies a rustic, outdoor setting that feels suspended in a quiet moment. The composition follows an asymmetrical arrangement, drawing the eye away from the immediate foreground toward a sprawling landscape. A young man, identified as a tinker, sits in the lower right foreground, his presence anchoring the scene. Near him, various pots rest upon the uneven ground, suggesting a life…
More from 1656
A serene and pastoral scene unfolds within a Baroque landscape, capturing a moment of respite during a period of travel. A woman sits amidst the undulating hills, cradling an infant in her arms, while a man mounted on a donkey waits nearby. The composition is anchored by a large, dark, textured tree on the left, which frames the central figures and directs the eye toward the receding landscape. Sheep and…
More from 1657
The oil on panel painting titled Italian landscape with shelter and antiques ruins was executed by the artist Jan Baptist Weenix in 1658. This landscape painting depicts a specific pastoral setting within an Italianate environment. The scene is populated by a group of peasants and various livestock, including sheep and goats. These figures are situated near a rustic cottage and several ancient architectural ruins that occupy the landscape.
More from 1658
In The Dutch Ambassador on his Way to Isfahan, Jan Baptist Weenix, 1653 - 1659, the artist Jan Baptist Weenix captures a moment of diplomatic transit. The scene focuses on Ambassador Joan Cunaeus and his secretary Cornelis Speelman. They move through a courtyard, part of a larger mission to stimulate trade in silk and horses within Persia. The air of the meeting feels heavy with the weight of commerce and…
Tobit, asleep under a vine, is blinded (1642), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Italian landscape with shelter and antiques ruins (1658) and Still Life with a Dead Swan (1651) come next.
21 years old: Tobit, asleep under a vine, is blinded dates from 1642, and Jan Baptist Weenix was born in 1621.
Tobit, asleep under a vine, is blinded, Italian landscape with shelter and antiques ruins, Still Life with a Dead Swan, Tobit Sleeping Under the Vine, The Scissors Grinder, Hunters Near Ruins, Portrait of René Descartes, Monument at a Harbour, Harbour with Antique Ruins and The Angel Raphael Leaving Tobias's Family. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 86 works by Jan Baptist Weenix, dated from 1640 to 1659.
Mostly in Bavarian State Painting Collections (Munich), Centraal Museum (Utrecht) and National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin City). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1650: 11 of the 78 works on this page were made then, Pleasure boating among them.
On this page, the earliest is Circumcision of Moses' son (1640) and the latest The Dutch Ambassador on his Way to Isfahan, Jan Baptist Weenix, 1653 - 1659 (1659).
Landscape (18), Ruins (17) and Sky (13), across the 78 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 30 of the 78 works on this page.
Dutch golden age and Baroque, judging by the originals on this page.
The Scissors Grinder, Still Life with Game, Hunter and Two Dogs and Sleeping girl: the Bavarian State Painting Collections, Munich holds 4 of the works on this page.
Jan Baptist Weenix stands as a singular figure within the Dutch Golden Age, celebrated for his distinctive blend of meticulous observation and imaginative vision. Though his artistic output was relatively modest compared to contemporaries like Rembrandt or Vermeer, Weenix’s contribution to Dutch art history is undeniable—particularly his groundbreaking exploration of Italian landscapes infused with human figures, establishing a stylistic precedent that would resonate throughout subsequent generations. Born in Amsterdam near the bustling harbor in 1621, Weenix descended from a family of architects, a lineage that likely shaped his formative years amidst the intellectual and structural ferment of the era.
Despite facing personal challenges—accounts suggest he struggled with speech due to a medical condition—Weenix possessed an ardent passion for literature and art, fostered by a mother who proactively arranged for him to apprentice under Jan Micker, Rembrandt’s brother-in-law. This early training instilled in him a disciplined approach to drawing and observation that would become the hallmarks of his oeuvre. He further honed his skills at Utrecht under the guidance of Abraham Bloemaert and returned to Amsterdam to study with Claes Corneliszoon Moeyaert, cementing his grounding in the prevailing artistic currents of the Netherlands.
The trajectory of Weenix’s career was profoundly altered by his travels, most notably his journey to Rome in 1643 alongside Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem. This excursion allowed him to encounter the vibrant intellectual and artistic milieu of the Bentvueghels guild, an experience that propelled him towards a more expansive stylistic range. In Rome, he embraced the Italianate style, characterized by warm, golden light and classical landscapes that contrasted beautifully with the cooler, more somber tones of traditional Dutch painting. This period of Roman influence allowed him to master the art of the "Italianate landscape," where the rugged beauty of southern Europe was reimagined through a Northern European lens.
His work during this era often blended the grandeur of classical settings with intimate, human elements. Whether depicting harbor scenes that whispered of maritime commerce or expansive vistas that evoked a sense of timelessness, Weenix possessed a unique ability to capture the atmosphere of a place. His mastery was not limited to vast horizons; he was equally adept at capturing the quiet, often visceral reality of life through his still lifes. His depictions of dead game and animals were marked by a startling realism, where every texture—from the coarse fur of a hunting dog to the delicate sheen of feathers—was rendered with breathtaking precision.
The significance of Jan Baptist Weenix lies in his ability to bridge the gap between the gritty realism of Dutch tradition and the idealized beauty of the Italianate movement. His versatility allowed him to navigate diverse subject matters, from the dramatic tension found in works like After the Hunt to the quiet, almost somber intensity of his animal studies. Through his brush, the viewer is invited into a world where the boundaries between the observed natural world and the imagined classical past are beautifully blurred.
As we reflect on his life and work, several key elements define his enduring importance:
Though his life was relatively short, ending in 1661, the imprint left by Jan Baptist Weenix remains visible in the evolution of landscape painting. He taught future generations how to look at the horizon not just as a boundary, but as a canvas for light, history, and human emotion.
